Video game analyst Michael Pachter believes that subscription MMOs have peaked, using BioWare’s Star Wars: The Old Republic as an example.

“I thought SWTOR would make it big, but it didn’t,” he said. “It looks like subscription MMOs are as big as they’re going to get – there are only 6-7 million people willing to spend $15 a month.”

“If Star Wars couldn’t do it, made by BioWare, then no one can do it.”

I think The Old Republic is doing perfectly fine, there’s more than enough people willing to spend money each month, and all these games need to be is profitable. No one is ever going to repeat what Blizzard accomplished with World of Warcraft, and the sooner we accept this fact, the better it will be for the genre.

Have subscription MMOs finally peaked?

Matthew Bennett finally got his big break with EGM three years ago, following years of volunteer work for various sites. An ability to go many hours without sleep and a quick wit make him ideal for his role as associate editor at EGMNOW.com. He often thinks back to the days when the very idea of this career seemed like nothing but an impossible dream. Follow him on Twitter @mattyjb89. Meet the rest of the crew.